Ends of a Spectrum
by TheNameIsErronBlack
Summary: After being assigned to a group project, Adrien and Marinette grow closer. At the same time, Adrien finds himself developing a bizarre affliction that seemingly activates whenever she so much as walks in a room.
1. Chapter 1

Adrien, in a stark contrast to most young people, was incredibly excited by the prospect of attending high school. He knew he already had a small but solid stable of friends, considered himself reasonably capable of handling the material, and was intrigued by the prospect of discovering some new facet of his untapped potential.

And, if nothing else, it would give him some respite from his father.

But now was not the time to focus in on such negativeness. This was the dawn of a new day, literally and metaphorically. One which Adrien would sink his proverbial teeth into to digest each and every possibility.

Perhaps improving his theoretical comparisons was one thing he could focus on in literature.

"So I told her not to get so worked up because it's better to get things wrong now than on the test, and she told me to shove it." Nino had been having problems with his partner in a class.

"Isn't she top of the class? I think you just have to remember that her grades can make her kind of..."

"Irrational?"

"Defensive."

Nino chuckled as the two made their way towards Marinette and Alya. Though he couldn't quite justify the matter with tangible reasoning, he found himself listing the prospect of spending more time with Marinette as one of the more enticing in the macrocosm of his academic tenure. Sure, he felt they had a mostly amicable relationship, but he hoped that being able to spend more time with her would strengthen their rapport. Of course, Adrien did his best to be as welcoming and open as possible, especially with her, but maintaining conversation with Marinette was like trying to pull teeth via the nostril. It was particularly disconcerting considering she was rather energetic, funny, and endearing when unaware of his presence.

Like right now. The way she was frantically regaling Alya with her plight and flailing her arms about was, for lack of a more accurate word, cute. Reflexively, he felt his mouth arch to the side in an attempt to hide a budding smile. She had on today a shirt that fell just slightly above her collarbone, and-

"Yo, Earth to Agreste." His appraisal came to an abrupt conclusion following Nino snapping his fingers in his face.

His eyes widened. Not only had he been absentmindedly staring at Marinette, he only now realized that she was presently returning the favor. Unbeknownst to the two, Nino and Alya looked on, seeping suspicion and amusement.

"Good morning, Marinette." His face was flushed as he proffered a greeting.

"I'm grea-good morning to you as well, Adrien."

Though she loved nothing more than watching Adrien and Marinette dance their classically awkward tango, the two would likely trip over each other and make them all late for class. "Class starts in two minutes, boys and girls."

With that comment, Alya and Marinette began their path to class with Adrien and Nino not far behind.

"Like what ya see, Agreste?"

Rather than dive further into embarrassment, he simply rolled his eyes out of amusement.

* * *

"Mister Lahiffe and Miss Cesaire." The professor had decided that the first assignment of Adrien's career would be a two-person presentation. Of course, fate brought the Nino and Alya together. He glanced over at to the adjacent seat to see Nino gazing at the floor as if he had just been sentenced to an immediate meeting with a firing squad. Alya expressed similar disdain.

"Mister Agreste…" Amusement gave way to a curious mix of dread and hope as Adrien's fate was next to be declared. On one end of the spectrum, he really, really wanted his partner to be Marinette. Being teamed up necessitated multiple hours of seclusion with the other person in question. Conversely, part of him pondered the possibility of Marinette going comatose in favor of having to spend such a degree of intimate time with Adrien.

"...and Miss Dupain-Cheng."

And there it was.

" _This is fine,"_ Adrien mentally told himself. _"Just smile at Marinette. Simple. Easy."_ To quell Marinette's inevitable anxiety, Adrien turned over, offering her his winning smile. Interacting with Marinette was once again an experience in contrasts. She initially looked as if she had been struck by lightning, but provided a grin in response to Adrien's. Regardless, he found her painfully endearing. He had to suck in his lips to prevent Nino from deducing just how overjoyed he was by the present development.

* * *

The following afternoon, Adrien and Marinette had agreed to meet at the Agreste mansion for a preliminary meeting regarding their assignment. Unpredictable as a sunset, the suggestion made Marinette stammer and blush. Adrien found himself returning the sickeningly sweet memory as she appeared outside his home.

"This is, uh, Marinette. I Adrien with work," Her eyes bulged as soon as she concluded the thought. "I mean, I go to school with Adrien!"

He couldn't hold back a smile as he opened the door to greet her.

"Hey!" A bit more enthusiasm than originally intended. "C'mon in."

* * *

"I know this thing is due in three weeks, but I figure we should get an early start." He ushered he into his room.

"Of course. I'm always happy to work with y-to get work done. Always good to get work done on time." He once again arched his mouth to the side. Marinette took a seat on a chair adjacent to Adrien's bed, melding her arms to her side and sitting as if the slightest movement would set off the end of the world.

That made Adrien's face scrunch. It would obviously be impossible to get anything resembling work done if the two could barely communicate properly, but seeing Marinette uncomfortable made his stomach lurch. It was time to settle this. Despite the anxiety that came with being so forward with her, Adrien knew this had to be done. Taking a seat in his computer chair, he slowly rolled it over next to Marinette's current seat. The moment of truth drew ever closer.

"Marinette, do I make you uncomfortable?"

She reeled back. "What? No, no, no, no. You're fine," Her eyes once again bulged as heat rose to her face. "I mean, everything is fine."

Obviously that wasn't the truth. "I just feel like whenever I'm not around you're energetic and funny, but that completely vanishes as soon as I show up," He gave her a tiny, shy smile. "You can be totally cool with me, okay?"

She responded in kind with eye contact and a timid smile. Progress. "You like Ladybug?"

Adrien shifted his gaze to the painting on the opposite wall displaying Ladybug triumphantly leaping across a Paris rooftop at night with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Chat-Noir could also be seen following her, but Ladybug was clearly the object of prominence. While he was far from an aficionado, it was undeniably his favorite piece of art ever conceived.

"Of course. My dad is friends with some world-famous painter and he did that for my birthday. Don't get me wrong, Chat-Noir is cool, but Ladybug is incredible."

And _there_ was that smile that drove him wild. The typical stirring in his stomach whenever he was privy to it was supplemented by something beyond definition. The exchange and success caused his heart-rate to skyrocket and he was certain that his knees would buckle if he was standing up. The best thing to do at the moment would be to focus on work and not on the fluttering in his stomach.

It was certainly worth noting, though. He would be sure to think on it once Marinette had departed.


	2. Chapter 2

Given her aptitude for designing and manufacturing clothing, Adrien knew that Marinette was smart, but their present assignment indicated that he had severely underestimated her intellectual abilities. Apparently, her lapses into exuberance did not preclude her from being a well-equipped student. Adrien, being a model who faced a steady barrage of accusations about his intellect or lack thereof, knew better than most to not let preconceived notions and stereotypes cloud one's judgement. The two had performed so well and gotten such a great deal of work done that they were free to accept Nino and Alya's offer for Friday night ice cream.

"So what he's trying to say is that you should keep your eyes wide open at all times, and love comes in many forms. I can get behind that." Nino and Alya had been assigned to create a presentation about a series of poems about love and destiny. As expected, they had diametrically opposed views.

"Actually," Alya barked as soon as he concluded the thought. "If you _read_ the poem in question, it's obvious that he thinks some metaphysical force, be it the universe or nature, has a predetermined plan for every single organic lifeform."

With the argument becoming more heated by the moment, Adrien shared a glance barely concealing amusement with Marinette, who was trying and failing to hide a smile. It was blatantly obvious to any semi-cognizant being that Alya and Nino, despite their proclivity for dispensing thunderous vitriol at each other at regular intervals, each carried a flame for the other rivaled only by the heat of a neutron star. It seemed as if they both had been custom-designed by some metaphysical force to match the others exact 'type'. Adrien was certain that the two would eventually come to the realization at some point.

"Let light break, and thus procreate, but truth does not lie through the red tape! It implies that you have to forge your own way."

Now that he was mentally on the topic, Adrien pondered as to the subject of Marinette's type. What was her type?

"Just reciting lines doesn't give you an understanding of the subtext, doof."

Did she like smart guys? Tall guys? Muscular guys? He was far from a super genius, not particularly tall, and, although his tenure as Chat-Noir had noticeably improved his physique, not very muscular. Perhaps a more prominent question was whether or not she even liked _guys._ Prior to that point, he hadn't really considered the possibility of Marinette's type and her romantic interests, and the fact that he couldn't force his interest of his head was puzzling. Since when did he concern himself with such an idea?

"Hey, Marinette, what's your type?"

Time and space came to a grinding halt. The two, horrified, looked over at Adrien, whatever acrimony between them having dissipated, and all sound had been replaced with the subtle buzz of the adjacent lights. What possessed him to say that? His relationship with his dad necessitated a statue-esque level of discipline and self-control, yet being around Marinette had somehow completely shattered his years of experience.

Marinette, with her face practically on fire, finally gave a partial response. "W-w-why do you ask?"

That made his chest tighten. He hadn't expected a follow-up question of such magnitude. While Alya and Marinette continued to give Adrien the 'deer-in-headlights' look, Nino had burst into a fit of laughter so raucous it seemed as if he might herniate, only exasperating his present anxiety.

"No reason," Now he refused to make eye contact. "Just thinking out loud." At least that was the earnest truth.

"Well," She timidly began. "Someone who's brave, and smart-"

"Someone like Chat-Noir." Alya intervened, though her voice indicated it was more a question than a definitive statement.

Marinette nodded vigorously. "Yeah. Like Chat-Noir. He's brave, smart, and in very good shap-" She halted herself before continuing. Her face only brightened, and Alya put her hands over her eyes in shame.

Following the tidal-wave of embarrassment that had collapsed over their table, Nino guffawed. "Someone strand me on the Moon! I am done!" Alya, in response, punched him in the shoulder. "Hanzo donzo." He at least relaxed to an extent following her protest.

Adrien, in spite of the snowstorm that presently dominated his veins and stomach, felt that the journey had been a worthy one. It was certainly interesting that Marinette thought Chat-Noir was both brave _and_ smart. And her taking notice of his physique? That was just the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae.

* * *

"So, uh, thanks for working with me today. I feel like we made a lot of solid progress already." Like a true gentleman, Adrien had escorted Marinette home after the two had opted to walk in favor of a ride from the Gorilla.

"No problem," She responded in kind. "Couldn't have asked for a better partner."

For what felt like several eternities, the two stood there, uncertain of how to conclude the night. Adrien rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly while Marinette bit her lip and darted her eyes.

"Oh!" He perked up, shattering the silence. "I should give you my phone number."

"Your phone number?" She squeaked out.

"If you need to contact me about the project." He quickly cut in.

"Right." Clearly relieved to have received that remark, she handed over her phone. A few moments of typing, a vibration, and Adrien returned the device. Her eyes met the screen to find:

 _Hey from Adrien :)_

"So, I'll see you later?" He shyly inquired.

She vigorously bobbed her head up and down before almost skipping into her residence. Adrien decided to wait until inside the bakery to ensure her safety and most certainly not to watch her perform a small impromptu dance that made his heart skip several beats.

* * *

"I take it you're in for the night, Master Adrien?"

With no potential damsel-in-distress to escort, Adrien had reversed his decision not to employ the impeccable talents of the Gorilla. He was far too tired to walk and far too emotionally exhausted to inform anyone of the day's events. The only thought on his mind was sleep and pleasant dreams about what a spectacular day it had been. "Yep."

"And how was miss Dupain-Cheng?"

Now he was awake. "Fine. Why do you ask?"

"You're both embarking on a hefty scholastic endeavor and clearly going to be spending quite a bit of time together. It's going to be quite difficult if you both don't get along well."

"I'm lucky, cuz she's pretty great," Adrien concluded emphatically before he retired to his room to avoid further interrogation.

It was somewhat amusing watching Adrien try and fail to mask his feelings. Having watched Adrien since the teenager was a boy, his affection for miss Dupain-Cheng, he felt, could not have been more clear unless it had been written in neon-pink calligraphy across the night sky.


	3. Chapter 3

Having successfully dodged the Gorilla' scrutiny, Adrien was free to relax after a long and rather arduous day. With his supply of energy rapidly waning, he used its last remnants to hurl himself onto his bed, resting the back of his head on his hands. The past few days had been quite eventful. School had been going well and he had proven to be a more than capable student, the project had proven to not be much of a challenge, and he had already grown quite attached to his peers. All things considered, life could not be much better.

And, yet, the one thing that consistently leaped to the forefront of his mind was Marinette.

That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, however. His focus on the night's events, though almost fatally awkward at times, carried a correlation with a strange sensation in his stomach. There was something about interacting with the fashion designer that made his insides somersault pleasantly. A feeling further enhanced by the fact that he now had her phone number and would in all probability be able to speak to her again on Monday. Again, there was no one particular reason for it, but it made Adrien want to get up and dance once he regained his energy.

* * *

 _The annual College Francoise Dupont charity gathering! Bring your friends and support the cause!_

Adrien arched an eyebrow at the bulletin board. He had been to enough gatherings of the bourgeoisie in his life that he felt no legitimate compelling interest to attend. Unless, of course, _she_ would be there.

"You gonna go?"

He shrugged at Nino's query. "Meh, I don't know." Couldn't give himself away seeing as Nino's classic mischievous grin indicated nefarious intentions.

"Mmm. You know, I'm pretty sure Marinette is going."

He should've expected it, but it still shot a shock through his spine. It as certainly a fact worthy of note, assuming he wasn't lying.

And the prospect of seeing her in a fancy dress made him feel like his head was going to-

"And I'm also pretty sure that she would just love it if a certain someone I'm talking to at the moment asked her to go."

With a grin of proportionate sadistic glee, Adrien turned from the sheet of paper to his current combatant, completely prepared to strike back. "Actually, I was wondering if Alya wanted to go," Had to keep the eyebrows up for this next part. "Do you think anyone has asked her yet?"

Nino clearly hadn't expected such a rebuke from the mild-mannered Adrien, and was obviously taken aback. "Er-I've gotta deejay. It would be unfair to her if I promised to go and then ditched her the whole night."

He returned his eyes to the sheet a moment later and put his finger to secure victory. "Band will be provided, so you're available to ask her." Adrien crossed his arms in a declaration of triumph. Nino had no rebuttal prepared.

"Hey, Adrien!"

Still brandishing his self-righteous grin, he met the source of the sound to find Marinette greeting him with her brilliant smile, and once again the fireworks show returned for yet another performance in his chest. Of course, he was always happy to see her, but it was rather unusual for her to engage the conversation. Typically, he would say hello and watch her stammer and blush her way through something that vaguely resembled a coherent response, but today the situation had been reversed. He was stunned. She was clearly anticipating some sort of sign that Adrien was both a human being capable of properly responding and pleased to be in her company.

"Hey, Marinette, Adrien wanted to ask you if-"

"If Alya was going to the dance in two weeks," Despite the pure dread that seized him once he deduced what Nino had planned, Adrien's quick wits had outdone the DJ's feeble attempt at warfare. "Nino wants to ask her, but he's obviously a bit nervous."

Having been a superhero for quite some time now, Adrien was accustomed to being on the receiving end of what he had colloquially dubbed the 'death stare'. He was certain that had the laws of civilization not suppressed him, Nino would've strangled him to death in that exact moment.

"Of course she would go with you!" Marinette piped in, potentially rescuing Adrien from a gradual and painful demise. "Nino, I promise she will say yes if you ask."

Being an utter disaster at duplicity, Nino saw no reason to believe she could be lying about Alya's desire. His face returned to a more stable expression and his rage towards Adrien had vanished.

"Who will say yes to what?" As fate would have it, Alya crashed the conversation, giving Adrien the perfect segue for some one-on-one with Marinette.

"Marinette, why don't we give them some room?" The two hastily departed, leaving a flustered Nino alone with a highly confused Alya.

* * *

"It was going to happen eventually." Marinette was clearly pleased by the events of the day so far.

"Who are we to deny true love?"

It was always good to hold up the code of honor among friends. Nino was all but certainly going to ask Alya eventually, but friends were there to force you into awkward situations for your own good.

"Are you okay, Adrien?"

On the subject of awkward situations, Adrien was certainly wallowing in one. Normally, he would be the one to ask her something of that nature, but now it was Marinette who was the peppy and assertive one. Don't get him wrong, Adrien quite liked it, but it left him uneasy. What was wrong with him? What was it about her that flustered him so easily?

"Uh, Marinette?" He brought his hands together. "Nino wasn't lying. I was actually wondering something." He forced himself to edge out the words.

No visible reaction from Marinette beyond her steady smile. "Sure. What's up?"

It would be a lot easier if she was as anxious as he was in the moment, but Adrien understood his duty. "I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the dance," So far, so good. "With me, I mean." The most critical of addendums.

Again, no discernible reaction beyond her smile slightly wavering to contemplate the offer. "Sure!"

She said yes! Once again, he felt an insatiable desire to dance like a buffoon, though embarrassing himself in front of Marinette was more than a sufficient deterrent.

"B-but we can go as friends if you want. It doesn't have to be a date."

That got something out of her. It wasn't much, but Adrien's caveat had clearly come out of the blue and seemed to hamper her mood. "Oh." Was all he received.

Why.

Why.

Oh dear goodness why. Had Adrien just hurled his only chance with Marinette out the window? He obviously desired to attend the dance with her, but he also didn't want to utterly demolish their friendship by him being an insensitive jerk who disregarded her desires. He quite liked being friends with her even if her mere proximity was enough to turn him into a tongue-tied fool.

"I'll see you there," She lightly punched him in the shoulder, indicating that everything was indeed cool. "Friend."

Once again, their exchange had been interrupted by the appearance of Alya, who practically danced her way over to where they were standing.

"Hey, lovebirds," She put an arm over their shoulders. "Don't wanna be late, do we?"

Adrien and Marinette exchanged subtle smiles as Alya skipped ahead.

* * *

Not far off, a fellow student was also scrounging up the courage to ask out the girl of his dreams. In his eyes, a more gentler, more gracious, more benevolent soul had never graced the Earth with her presence, and her limitless kindness was rivaled only by her beauty, which even the greatest artists and poets could never even begin to dream of encapsulating. Though he, Geno, was less than an iota of an atom of a germ before a mighty and fair queen utterly unrivaled in beauty in the court of love, he would place everything at risk in the name of his heart's truest desire.

"If I said it once, that probably means I've said it at least ten million times! Find out what Adrien is doing in two weeks! What do I pay you for, anyway?"

He sighed. Chloe's voice was one an Angel ascribed to match in splendor.

* * *

Author's note: Please forgive the potential butchering of the French language that took place when Adrien read the announcement sheet. I'm horrible with languages, as you can probably tell from the fact that I can barely work with English. And I promise the last part involving Chloe will have some significance later on, although I'm sure you can see where I'm going with it.


	4. Chapter 4

"It's over, Revengeinator. The forecast calls for an end to your reign of terror."

"Damn you, Chat-Noir! You have bested me this day, but I shall retur-" A swift punch to the nose, and he was down for the count. There were far more pressing matters at hand. With lightning speed, he dashed over to the cell where Revengeinator had been holding his beloved Marinette, sliced the bars clean off with one smooth, rage-infused swipe, and embraced her in a vice-like hug.

"Oh, Chat-Noir, my hero!" They had both been dreaming of that hug for quite some time as the energy-projecting supervillain had kidnapped Marinette in hopes of drawing Chat-Noir to his lair. It was a near-fatal miscalculation on his part.

"Did he hurt you, my lady?"

"No, but I have something to tell you," She forced his gaze. "I thought I would never make it out of here, but then you came in and wiped the floor with that monster just like I hoped," Eye contact was steady despite her heavy blush. "I...I love you, Chat-Noir."

The energy between the two was palpable. "And I love you, Marinette."

Only a moment after their confession of love, and their lips had crashed against each other. The moment was as sublime and singular as he had dreamed.

"Nice job, Chat-Noir."

The two were hurled from their bliss by a voice behind them. Chat-Noir's eyes popped open and his heart stopped dead in its tracks: as if out of thin air, all seven members of the Justice League had appeared. Prior to that, Chat-Noir had only read about the superhero collective, and here they were. They had traveled at the way to Paris to see him triumph over evil!

"Wow." A mumble was all he could muster at the sight.

"That was a pretty impressive performance," Superman had congratulated him on a job well done. If he had died right in that moment, it would've been a life well lived. "Revengeinator gave us quite a bit of trouble, but you took him down by yourself."

"Which is why," Batman pointed his index finger straight at him and he nearly fainted. "We would like to offer you a position on our team."

Now Chat-Noir was certain he had died at some point prior to the Caped Crusader's offer, but it didn't really matter because there were very few reasons to continue living anyway. This was like winning ten million Euros seconds after dodging a lightning bolt while on a date with multiple supermodels. Of course he would say ye-

" _Wait, what am I thinking?"_ Having a position on the world's premier superhero team would be nice, but nothing on Earth could compare to being loved by the most wondrous girl to ever grace humanity with her existence.

"I appreciate the offer, but my city needs me," He shot Marinette a smile. "And I need her even more."

Bizarrely, Chat-Noir's profession had been met by a look of annoyance and a snap of the fingers from his beloved.

"Chat-Noir," She robotically responded. "Chat-Noir."

Things only became more surreal from that point forward, as Marinette had somehow transformed into Ladybug and he was now standing on a rooftop in Paris rather than Revengeinator's lair.

"Chat-Noir, quit daydreaming about me, please."

That remark necessitated a rebuke, but he lacked the energy or willpower. Oh, well. At least it was nice to fantasize for a moment. In all probability, he would never be earn a position with the Justice League and would almost certainly never win Marinette's heart.

"Hey, Ladybug, have you ever...liked someone?" Having fully acclimated to the real world once again, he felt compelled to ask Ladybug for some advice. Perhaps she could provide some insight.

She responded with a wicked smile. "Aww, does Chat-Noir have a teensy wittle crush? Who's the lucky girl?"

He probably should've expected that, but he refused to acknowledge it. "I just feel like I'm all suave and smooth, but all my training goes out the window as soon as she shows up."

A small chuckle, which certainly bolstered his confidence. "Wow. The suave and smooth Chat-Noir has finally met his match: a pretty girl."

He shifted his gaze to shield his blush from her eyes. "Have you ever known someone you're totally into, and you wanna tell them all these things about how you feel, but you just can't?"

Silence. "I do, actually, and-wait a minute."

Chat-Noir looked over at Ladybug, who was holding part of herself over the roof to get a better look at the street. Apparently, she had witnessed some suspicious activity in the area surrounding one of Paris' largest bank branches earlier in the afternoon and wanted to skulk it out for potential duplicitous activity in the evening. He joined her to find that a van that was certainly eclipsing the speed limit was presently making its way down the street. The two jumped into action without a moment to spare.

* * *

"Alright, let's do this," He slammed the door shut. "We'll have maybe a few minutes before-"

"Oh, fuck me!" The four emerged to find the infamous superhero pair standing before them. "It's Spider-Girl! And Bat-Kid!"

"What? No, you moron, it's-"

"Fighting superheroes was not part of the plan, man! What are we gonna do?"

"It's them or us. Kill em'!"

Relative to combating Akuma-tized supervillains, four untrained clowns with machine guns was like a day at the spa, Adrien thought. "It looks like you guys are almost overdrawn, but don't worry, we're here to help you manage your monetary needs." Chat-Noir found it remarkable how he had almost zero sense of trepidation regarding his present predicament. Compared to maneuvering around Marinette, this would be like a day at the all-expense paid anti-gravity spa in which beautiful women dispensed a steady stream of grapes into his mouth.

"It seems that you really like this person," Ladybug was an excellent multitasker. "Have you considered just telling her how you feel? Maybe writing it down in a letter?"

 _Thwack!_ "I have, but I don't want to mess up our friendship just because of my selfishness."

 _Thunk!_ "Having feelings isn't being selfish, Chat. Unless you can somehow make yourself dislike her, honesty is the only way you'll know if she feels the same way."

"I know," After having his gun wrenched away by Ladybug's yo-yo, the last assailant standing pulled out a knife and entreated Chat-Noir to a showdown. "Really? A knife? Am I not famous enough, or something?" A quick staff strike to the stomach with a follow-up on the dirtbag's face, and the danger was dissipated. Triumphant, and only partially out of breath on account of dodging gunfire, the two exchanged victorious smiles. "I'll contact the authorities if you'll seriously consider being upfront with your mystery girl."

"Deal."

"Good. Now, about her identity..."

"I'll think about it." He yelled back at her as he sped off.

* * *

The following morning, Adrien greeted Nino, who was meticulously examining a sheet of paper.

"Hey, Adrien, I was wondering if you could help me out with a science thing. I'm researching this illness, and I think you might be afflicted by it."

That was a somewhat nerve-racking idea. "Really? Is it fatal?"

"No, but tell me if these symptoms sound familiar. Increased heart rate, increased level of anxiety, stuttering-"

He squinted at Nino, who was clearly trying and failing to hold in a bout of boisterous laughter. "What?"

"-misuse of words and inadvertent predilection towards innuendos, dilation of pupils-"

"What the heck are you talking about?"

He turned up from the sheet. "Oh, this is just the physical symptoms of having a crush. I'm testing a hypothesis that you are completely bonkers over Marinette."

"Give me that!" Wrenching the sheet from Nino's hands, he gave it a cursory examination. _Redness of the face or flushing of the cheeks._ Before he could examine another word, Adrien tore it asunder.

Obviously anticipating such a development, a second sheet emerged from Nino's pocket. "Some, particularly adolescents, are susceptible to becoming overly defensive or angry when confronted with the idea of holding affection for the recipient. Does that sound like someone you know?"

Was he really that obvious? Did Marinette know? "I don't think of her like that." He obviously did, but there was no way he was actually going to tell Nino that.

"The science doesn't lie, brother. And there's nothing wrong with admitting you have a thing for Marinette. She's smart, has great fashion sense, she's ultra cute-"

"It sounds like _you_ might like her." An overly defensive delivery betrayed his words.

Nino held his hands up. "Hey, I can be objective. Do you not think Marinette is pretty?"

Being in the Parisian modelling industry, Adrien was no stranger to beautiful women, but Marinette easily eclipsed them all. Physically, she was the complete package. Her cute voice, her radiant smile, all her hopelessly adorable mannerisms and proclivities, just thinking about her made him want to sigh contently. Her being effortlessly easy to talk and open up to was also pretty gre-

"Oh! Super important phone call," He whipped his phone from his pocket with lightning-speed. "Hey! Yeah, I can talk." That was as good an excuse as any to walk away.

Now Nino laughter was unrelenting. "This isn't over."

* * *

Having concluded his scholastic commitment, Adrien had his mind set on leaving the rest of the day to himself. Between his superheroics and having his heart thrown around, he needed some time for introspection. Obviously, he knew Ladybug was right. There was no way his relationship with Marinette would ever advance past the platonic unless he made some sort of maneuver, but how could he? In what universe would someone like Marinette like someone like him? Sure, he was showered with praise by his supposed 'friends' and his father's sycophants, but they were pretty much obligated to do so even though he was just awkward, boring, non-superheroic Adrien Agreste. Besides, Marinette probably thought he was a total wimp considering how he would always speed away as soon as Akuma-tized villains appeared.

"Master Adrien, I understand this is hardly any of my personal business," The Gorilla took it upon himself to impart some wisdom on the poor boy. The look of self-loathing was all too-familiar. "But I would wager that miss Dupain-Cheng reciprocates your feelings."

Despite the surprise at the Gorilla successfully deducing his feelings, a modicum of hope that manifested in Adrien's chest took greater prominence. "Really?"

"I was only barely acquainted with her, but it certainly stands to reason. The two of you are hardly masters of subtlety." Watching the two timidly dance around one another was profoundly amusing. Oh, to be young and in love again.

"Thank you." Adrien squeaked out, though his spirit was emboldened. He was Chat-Noir! Fearless superhero! He had taken on tougher challenges before. Tomorrow. He would tell her her tomorrow.

* * *

"There. Perfect."

With a final, swift stroke, Geno put the finishing touch on his declaration of adoration. He had spent the past several years scraping together the courage needed to confront the object of his eternal affection, and now he was more prepared than ever to finally take the great leap into darkness despite his debilitating anxiety.

Tomorrow. He would tell her tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

At the behest of my readers, I've changed Max's name to Geno because I don't play by the rules anymore. I haven't actually seen all the episodes of the show and didn't know a character named Max existed. I apologize for any confusion.

* * *

"So, what are you gonna say?"

"I don't know, Plagg."

"You have to tell her something."

"I know, Plagg."

"They're just words, Adrien. You know words. Just give her the right words."

In an ideal world, Adrien would fearlessly stride into school, scoop Marinette into his arms, and completely blow her away with a kiss directly on that perfect mouth of hers fueled by ever ounce of his willpower. Unlike Chat-Noir, however, Adrien Agreste was far too reserved and considerate for such an undertaking. Still, Plagg's assessment, while not particularly insightful, was ultimately true. The culmination of his struggle was in two days, meaning he would have to act soon or potentially witness his chance with Marinette disappear into the sarlacc of time. He couldn't exactly have a sit-down with his father about this predicament, so Plagg would have to do.

"How about I pretend to be Marinette and you pretend to ask me out?"

That could work. "Alright. Let's try it."

With an opportunity to present his mastery of the thespian arts, Plagg floated a small distance from Adrien, only to reverse his path. "Dum-de-dum-de-dum," He sing songed. "Oh, hey, Adrien! I'm your good pal Marinette. Got something to ask me?"

Taking a brief moment to exhale, Adrien mentally gathered the right words. "Marinette, I really like you, and I want the dance to be a date-date, not a friend-date."

Plagg pressed his hands to his cheeks in mock-surprise. "Oh, Adrien, of course I'd go with you!"

That spark of hope resurfaced in Adrien's stomach. Sure, it was only a facsimile of the real thing, but it certainly bolstered his confidence. Now, the only thing separating him from destiny was time.

* * *

Despite not even knowing for certain if Marinette would be present today, the fluttering in Adrien's stomach became progressively more invasive as he made his way towards her hypothetical location. He had practiced with Plagg and had a number of mental bullet points to guide him, but actually professing his feelings for Marinette made him seriously wonder if some kind of rock concert was holding a festival in his chest.

"You good, Adrien?"

He whipped his gaze to find a genuinely concerned-looking Nino.

"How do I look?"

"Like you were trying to dodge raindrops in a hurricane."

Though a shot to his vigor, brutal honestly was the theme of Adrien's day. No more time for delay. "Awesome. Let's do this." As fate would have it, Marinette was presently unaccompanied by Alya, and there was no way he was going to potentially embarrass himself in front of two of his friends. With his target in his sights, he began a heroic stride to the object of his affection. His determination precluded him from hearing a befuddled Nino inquire as to what they were doing.

"Morning, Adrie-"

"Marinette, I need you to not say anything for the next thirty seconds, because I don't think I have the courage to say this again," He gave one final sigh of resignation before taking the great plunge. "I like you."

Marinette's only response to the confession was to stare at him like a lost puppy.

"I like you a lot, and I regret telling you I wanted to go to the dance with you as a friend, because I don't. I want it to be a date," He concluded the thought with assured finality. "Guh, like a date-date, not a friend-date. I know that doesn't make any sense." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

The only sign of life from Marinette was that the color of her cheeks highly resembled that of a typical Christmas ornament.

"So," Adrien timidly began. "What do you say?"

Having several seconds to bear witness to her blushing, Adrien found the prospect of holding back a sly grin increasingly difficult. Marinette's level of adorableness was beyond elucidation.

"Yes," She at last squeaked out. "I would love to."

With that, the rock concert in Adrien's stomach was hurled into its explosive crescendo.

* * *

Not far off, Chloe was on a similar end of the emotional scale as Adrien. Someone had deposited a rather fancy looking letter adorned with the words "To your unyielding beauty". Tearing off the exterior revealed the following dialogue:

 _Chloe,_

 _For several interminable years now, I have admired your beauty like an astronomer of Ancient Greece, hopelessly but unceasingly attempting to comprehend the magnetic force that shines above all else. To even attempt to put how you make me feel would be a foolhardy endeavor unrivaled in human history in terms of self-righteous bravado, and I am eternally grateful that you have deigned to hurl a scrap of your attention to a serf such as myself. That having been established, you would propel me to untold heights of ecstasy if you would do me the privilege of accompanying me to this weekend's scholastic festivities. If you agree to these terms, simply make a signal to the boy in your immediate vicinity._

 _With all my spirit,_

 _Your long-abiding admirer_

Chloe could only beam at the parcel, mouth agape.

"Oh my gosh," She almost whispered to Sabrina. "I had no idea he felt that way about me."

As soon as Chloe turned to face him, Geno's heart rate instantly teleported into the stratosphere. She was going to say yes! There was no denying it! She was walking right-

-past him. Straight into the arms of Adrien Agreste.

"Oh, Adrien," She cooed, unknowingly bumping into Marinette as she wrapped her arms around Adrien's shoulders. "That was so beautiful. I had no idea you could write so well."

Adrien delicately inched his head back as if he was a character in a horror movie being intimately investigated for tastiness by a hostile alien monster. "Uh, what?"

She silenced him with an index finger. "You don't have to say anything. Of course I'll go with you to the dance."

Still maintaining a careful distance from the creature, Adrien squinted, legitimately uncertain of what was presently happening. "I didn't write you anything. And I'm going to the dance with Marinette."

"You didn't write the letter?" The lifeform switched from curiosity to outright hostility and selected Marinette to be the new target of her acidic acrimony. "And you're going to the dance with _her?_ " The final word was punctuated by a sudden drop in octaves. She turned away from the pair, let out a shriek of unadulterated frustration, and ripped the letter asunder before speeding off with her fists at her side and Sabrina in tow, leaving the two completely stunned in her wake.

"I seriously have no idea what that was about." Though just as profoundly confused as Marinette, she clearly needed an explanation.

"Chloe has some issues to deal with." They had been accosted on all sides by awkwardness, the tension between them was relieved by genuine laughter.

"So, I'll have the Gorilla pick you up tomorrow?"

Marinette nodded. Adrien's heart soared.

* * *

In a fruitless attempt to vex his heartache, Geno returned to the spot in the park where he first laid eyes upon Chloe's impeccable beauty. The trees stretching out past the visible distance which created a pasture of sublime color punctuated by the light of the sun or moon always managed to assuage his fears or anxieties, they held no such power today. He clinched his teeth on his bottom lip. Chloe's love had been but a breath away, but that charlatan Agreste had stolen it away like a spineless provocateur of the night. What was it that Geno lacked? He had played sports his entire life to maintain a formidable physical stature and had a similar pattern of facial symmetry, came from a family of profound wealth, and was of requisite intellectual fortitude. That meant they were equals! What could that fool Agreste have that magnetically attracted an Angel such as Chloe? What insanity gripped this world?

" _Such a lust for vengeance, almost too easy a victim for my akuma."_

Geno's head sprung forth from the wallowing in his hands and assessed his immediate situation. The present population of the park was all the usual iconography; parents with their children, elderly people enjoying the weather, young lovers, but nothing within his vicinity. What was the source of such a disturbance?

" _I understand the anger that consumes you."_

Becoming increasingly unhinged, Geno stood at attention. "Reveal yourself, spectre, or have I already ascended the mountains of madness?"

" _I can give you the power to take back what I could not. I only ask for one simple favor in return…"_

"You're nothing but a phantasm. I will not let my anger be unleashed upon he-"

But it was already too late. Anything resembling his lovelorn melancholy had been utterly eroded, in its place an insatiable feeling of undiluted power. It was incredible! Every fiber of his body was raging with a fire that could be seen from space if it escaped his person.

" _Bring me their Miraculouses, and her love will be yours."_

"Yes!" He bellowed to the ever-cruel universe. "Soon, this world will bow before Prom King!"


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: I like to keep these brief, but I need to clarify some miscommunications on my part. I originally intended the character of Max (now named Geno) to be completely original. I was unaware that there was already a character named Max in the continuity of the show as I haven't seen all the episodes at present. I apologize for the confusion. He has absolutely no relation to the Max with the green shirt and glasses.

Also, it's come to my attention that the concept of prom isn't really a thing in French culture. The dance in the story is meant to be just kind of a thing that's not super important, only that the characters of the story, Geno and Adrien in particular, take it seriously for obvious reasons. I readily admit I did a rather poor job of conveying that. I chose to call Geno's villainous persona Prom King because it's extremely silly. I hope you can forgive me for the cultural discrepancy.

* * *

Although Adrien insisted on having the Gorilla escort the two to the occasion, Marinette insisted on meeting him there. A gentleman was always to accommodate his lady, Adrien thought, and he admitted to being grateful that it would save the two of them from a protracted, interminable session of stolen glances and blushing. The night would provide a more than sufficient supply of that, and perhaps absorbing the cool evening air would mentally prepare calm him in preperation for the travesty to come. He had spent two hours the day prior ciphering through suits with Plagg, who assured him that his current attire strongly resembled that of James Bond. (According to Adrien's partner in crime-fighting, "James Bond always got the babe".) Considering Marinette's superhuman ability to design clothing coupled with her incredible taste, it was safe to assume that she would look like something out of a Renaissance portrait of a royal family.

"Adrien?"

His assertion was instantly validated with a turn of his head. He couldn't help but marvel at the unearthly beauty before him. Adrien's mouth chose to halt itself before fully committing to hanging open as the best course of action.

Her eyebrows and smile jolting in amusement conveyed that he had spent the past several seconds gawking at her. Looking at her was one of his personal favorite pastimes, but it would have to wait. Time for action.

"Oh, hey, Marinyaht," Her amusement became more blatant at his blundering. "We should go to the thing. Inside. The thing inside. That's where we should go."

Struggling valiantly to contain her laughter, Marinette interlocked her arm with her date's as they made their way to the festivities proper.

Logic informed Adrien that while he should obviously look at Marinette, he shouldn't gaze at her like his eyes were magnetically bound to her. There was no denying she looked fantastic, though. Her hair, while naturally enchanting, was long, and flowing, spilling out past her shoulders. It looked extremely soft, too. Perfect for running one's fingers throug-

"Thanks for coming out with me tonight."

His journey into the land of manner-deficient idiots was interrupted as he snapped his eyes to meet hers. The idea that perhaps he could gain some composure by not focusing on how Marinette beamed like an explosion in the dead of night was instantly vaporized by her eyes.

"Totally," A great choice of words. "You, uh, look..." This was it. Adrien had spent his entire life having the etiquette of a gentleman forcibly taught by his father, and now was the time to put those years of vigorous training into practice. "Awesome."

The one thing Adrien desired more than anything was a hole far removed from any sentient lifeform. Perhaps then, he could get some respite from the world-ending embarrassment before him. Awesome. That's exactly what girls wanted to hear. That they looked 'awesome'. What was happening to him? Normally, it was Marinette who was stuttering, stammering, and running headfirst into innuendos while he remained cool as a Winter's day. He was no stranger to gorgeous women looking like royalty, but this was an uncharted dimension of awkwardness. He took some solace in the knowledge that Marinette appeared to find his bumbling endearing rather than worrying.

* * *

The party, as Adrien predicted, was a fairly remedial affair, almost utterly indistinguishable from the hundreds he had attended in his youth. Legions of tables wreathed in fine cloth, the waft of inhumanly expensive cuisine coupled with the clanging of the requisite cutlery, denizens of the wealthy world, some he recognized, with a few of his classmates hurled into the mix. So far, so standard.

"Mister Agreste!"

" _Oh, crap."_ It was one of his father's many business associates. Adrien knew they had met before somewhere along the way, but he couldn't place the name. The only clue was that he had a slight bump on the ridge of his nose and his silver hair parted to form an oval on the top of his head. "Oh, hello, again."

He didn't seem to mind the informal greeting. "A shame your father couldn't be here tonight, and who is this lovely young lady?"

"Marinette, this is, uh," A brief pause for further thought. "He works with my dad."

The stranger was clearly impressed. "Pleasure to meet you, Marinette. I better leave so you two can get to your dancing."

With that, he departed, giving Adrien's vision the path to the small portion of the hall reserved to those who felt bold enough to dance. Not long ago, the prospect of getting Marinette to engage in a bit of slow dancing with him was ostensibly comparable to attempting to scale the Burj Khalifa with a broken arm, but he had successfully gotten away with introducing her to his dad's friend as if she was his girlfriend, so the universe was clearly on his side. A cursory glance had revealed that Alya and Nino had beaten him to the punch, so it was time to act.

"So," He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he mustered the courage to strike. "Would you want to dance?"

Immediately after Adrien concluded his query, the entirety of the party's attention was forced to the roof as an explosion like the universe's largest shotgun being fired at a gaggle of steel chairs sounded above. Adrien didn't even have to fully examine the figure descending through the pierced roof to know that the party had been crashed by an akuma-tized supervillain. Of course, he had grown so accustomed to encountering them that immediate engagement was his natural reflex, but priority one was getting Marinette to safety. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arm around her elbow and bolted for the adjacent exit door.

"Adrien, wait!" There had to be some room where Marinette could wait while he contained the threat. He had no idea how or why this weirdo had shown up, but he had to do something.

"Marinette, stay here. I'm gonna get help." A supply closet was hardly an ideal or impenetrable fortress, but it would have to do for now.

"But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll come back once this guy is gone." Again, he dreaded leaving Marinette alone while a rogue supervillain was on the loose, but at least she would be safe as long as he and Ladybug served as a sufficient distraction. Once Marinette was partially secure, he rushed a few meters down to a spot he was certain was free from an audience.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

"Now, now, no need for undue panic," Prom King gestured with his hands for calm like a stern but loving authority figure. "I implore your forgiveness for such an entrance, but I needed your absolute attention. I hold no quarrel with any of you, so simply fulfill one measly request, and I will leave you to your festivities. Where is Adrien Agreste?"

He held his audience's attention with an iron fist, each too petrified act. Prom King scanned the area like a professor searching among his thoroughly enamored student body for an answer to a rhetorical question.

"I will forgive your malfeasance, but please know that my patience is not immune to degradation. I shall inquire one more time: bring me Agreste!" The politeness in his voice had been disregarded and he was now hoarse with anger.

Prom King had anticipated this. It was, of course, exactly like Adrien Agreste to scurry away from danger to let those who were of superior moral rectitude to stand up for him. He snorted in amusement. "Of course. Too cowardly to face me." In that instant, his gaze met that of Alya Cesaire. She frequently interacted with the back-stabbing provocateur. He methodically made his way to her, each strike of his boot on the floor reverberating throughout the entire complex.

"Miss Cesaire, I truly regret involving you in my crusade, but I fear you already are tainted by the-"

Before he could confront her, a hand latched on to his wrist. Another of Agreste's allies.

"Don't even think about it, assho-"

Before the expletive sullied the occasion, Prom King delivered a thunderous punch to his assailant's chest, sending him hurtling back into the wall.

"Nino!" Alya cried out in desperation and rushed over to him.

The old man had clearly endowed him with some variety of supernatural strength, but this was truly something unique. He had sent his attacker back with but a meager portion of his strength! He gazed at his palms in wonderment, utterly enamored with the energy flowing through every facet of his body.

"Hey! What the hell did he ever do to you?"

A new challenger? Who could possibly be foolish enough to-

"You think you're so tough because you beat up on normal people?"

But Prom King provided no rebuke to the threat. He could do little more than remain lifeless. There before him stood Chloe, as angelic as even his most ludicrous fantasies. Even despite her rage and ravenous expression, she stood unchallenged as the most universe-shatteringly gorgeous lifeform to ever occupy this reality or any other. He delicately made his way over to her as if doubting this wretched universe could contain such an impeccable lifeform. Once he was but a few inches separated from her, a hand reached out, totally against his own willpower, and grazed her cheek with his fingertips as if she was made of glass.

Chloe snapped her head back in unparalleled horror. "I can't wait until Ladybug and Chat-Noir show up to kick your-"

Curling his fingers forward with his free hand, Prom King silenced his queen before she was forced to suffer one more minute of her confusion.

"On that, my beloved, we agree."

* * *

Adrien felt that there was a great deal of confusion regarding what he colloquially dubbed "superhero landings". Yes, they were supremely awesome, but they also had a great deal of actual value in that they informed adjacent innocent civilians that they were safe and the bad guys that they were about to get the beat-down of a lifetime. Self-aggrandizement was merely incidental.

"The dark knight of Paris. So glad you could join us."

Standing only a short distance away, Adrien made a square by connecting his pointer fingers and thumbs, as if he was photographer on a photoshoot. Years of experience told him to close the other eye and partially stick his tongue out for added effect.

"What? No snark-infused rejoinder to regale us with?"

The akuma-tized villain threatening the sanctity of the occasion wore a bright yellow cape that flowed down from his neck to his waist, boots of a similar tint that nearly eclipsed his calves, and medieval armor. Garden variety ego-maniacs like this loved to talk about themselves. All Adrien had to do was wait him out until Ladybug showed up.

"I'm trying to figure out what Shakespeare play you jumped out of. The Tempest?" He brought his thumb and pointer finger to his chin in faux-contemplation. "No, no, no. You are definitely more of a Hamlet guy."

The pseudo-complement brought a bemused grin to the villain's face. "You know, I should really be thanking you. You did not have to come all this way just to die, and yet here you are. I don't even have to bother hunting you down at all!"

That ever-so-subtle twinge of anger. Perfect. Ladybug liked to mock his endless repertoire of quips and jokes, but they carried a great deal of practical value. "For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." He would be sure to thank his father for forcing him to read the Shakespearean classics later.

"Even in the face of death, you laugh. I admire your bravado."

"Death? Nah. For me, this is a regular Friday night."

"Tread lightly, friend. This is not one of your comic book blockbusters."

"Coulda' fooled me, cuz that's exactly what it looks like. The dashing hero, the dorky villain, the lady-in-waiting…"

"Lady-in-waiting? You are clearly mistaken; my lady is free to do as she pleases," While the rest of the occupants had used the opportunity Adrien provided to evacuate the premises, Chloe had remained in place, expression blank, eyes ever-focused on Prom King. He must've been holding her under some sort of psychic spell. "For far too long, she was confused, and I have shown her the path to truth," He gingerly ran a hand through her hair. "She loves me, you see, not you," He concluded with assured finality. "And once more, I love her." A haphazard addendum.

Before Adrien could consider another rejoinder, the two decided on a momentary truce to view the disturbance behind them. Adrien let out a sigh of relief as Ladybug used her yo-yo to swing into action and perform her own superhero landing right beside him. Now, the beatdown would truly commence.

"My luck only magnifies with time! Now I can destroy both of you twice as fast."

Adrien knew his doubt in Ladybug was entirely baseless. "Right on time, my lady. So glad you got your invitation to the bash."

She brandished her trusty yo-yo. "Let's get this done. This guy's after Adrien."

Now Prom King was smiling from ear-to-ear. "Oh, Ladybug. You will do no such thing," He brought his hands and extended his fingers at his targets like a predator brandishing his natural weaponry. "I will reclaim what Agreste has taken from me, and you will fight Chat-Noir to the death." His fingers sickeningly lurched forth, with no effect. It reminded Adrien of when he would attempt to shoot lightning out of his fingertips after watching Star Wars as a child. Again and again, his claws jumped out at them to no avail.

"No wonder the old man is willing to go to such lengths for those gemstones. There must be some true power behind them," He mused, genuinely impressed. "No matter. I'll have to defeat you both the more arduous and painful way. But first, let's see what lies within." He brought his forefingers to his temple.

"Of course!" A moment later, his bellicose baritone exploded through the complex, even partially rocking Adrien and Ladybug. "Chloe only loves you because you're Chat-Noir. How could I not have seen it earlier?"

Adrien's heart, as if on cue, stood in place. This guy knew he was Chat-Noir. Worse, Ladybug would almost certainly put the pieces together to assemble the conundrum. Before another word could escape his trap, Adrien charged forth with Ladybug in tow.

"And yet...your heart belongs to the baker's daughter," Adrien, figuring Prom King held little fighting prowess, threw a fist to his face, figuring he would go down in one shot, only to meet Prom King's palm; he somehow caught the punch, and used his enhanced strength to keep Adrien as his audience. "You could dine in the halls of Valhalla, yet you choose to eat among the serfs. Well, I'm afraid the same principle applies. Her infatuation only extends to your tissue-thin superhero persona. Without that, you're nothing but a boy desperately searching for daddy's approval," It appeared that this monster had detected Adrien's plan and decided to reverse it on him, because he was beginning to genuinely get under his skin. He then tightened his grip in order to send Adrien back. "I can almost scrounge together a scrap of pity for you."

"And you," Without even turning around, he sidestepped Ladybug's diving kick. "I hope you recognize that you've been deceived. This charlatan is only interested in you because of that gaudy monstrosity you call a costume," Ladybug's barrage was just as fruitless. She would throw a back kick, he would only have to slightly adjust his position to dodge it. She would try to sweep his legs, and he would only have to give a light hop to avoid it entirely. Once he was done toying with her, he retaliated with his own sweep kick, sending Ladybug to the floor. "Take that away, and he wouldn't give you a second glance," His follow-up punch, intended for Ladybug's face, pierced the concrete floor after she barely managed to roll away. "His vanity is truly boundless."

Time moved like a snail with progeria. Marinette was Ladybug. It ostensibly made sense and explained where she ran off to all those times. But was it true that she was only interested in him because he was Chat-Noir? Didn't matter. Had to keep fighting. Deal with emotions later. This guy clearly was either a world class fighter or could predict their moves. That meant they had to hide.

* * *

Things were going swimmingly. Despite him being prescient in his ability to detect their emotions and thoughts, there was a great deal of uncertainty about getting into a fist fight with two masters of combat who had taken on foes of far greater scope. Now, he had them both on the run! There was no need to fret.

"It's a wonder our fair city hasn't been rendered a smoldering crater when its two premier defenders are you two cowards." It was obvious that the pair of cowards would attempt to use duplicity as their new tactic of choice, meaning he would have to hunt them down like animals.

"The art of deception? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You are a master of espionage, after all, Chat-Noir." A relaxed stride would do. There was a certain amount of craftsmanship to be admired at this festival, anyway. "But your duplicity is not opaque to those who know the truth. Can't you see, Ladybug, that I am rescuing you from a sham?" His precognitive abilities told him to look a bit to the right to see Chat-Noir leaping through the air, bo-staff prepared to deliver a killing blow. Prom King took a few steps forward and caught his target by the throat, his limbs sickeningly lurching forward.

"The noose tightens." The sheer amount of satisfaction gleamed from watching the life drain from Agreste's eyes was something like ecstasy. Before he could complete the deed, Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around the length of his opposite forearm, prompting Prom King to pull his arm towards his body, sending the superhero crashing into her compatriot. Their mutual energy supply was clearly waning as they propped up their upper bodies on their trembling hands.

"Lucky charm!"

* * *

It was...a helmet. An oddly familiar helmet that Ladybug was presently cradling in her hands. How the heck could it help them in the fight of their lives? For some baffling reason, Adrien thought it vaguely resembled the one Magneto used to keep Professor X out of his head-

His heart once again stopped, and he smiled at Marinette. "I know how we can beat him."

* * *

"I'll admit, we've had some fun, but I fear our time has come to an end." Whatever sweet nothings they were whispering to each other mattered little. Almost certainly vacuous platitudes about how much he adored he-

"Argh!" He let out a pained grunt as Ladybug somehow managed to roundhouse kick him in the stomach. His arms instinctively secured themselves around his waist; she hit like a truck on steroids! And how did she managed to pierce his psychic defenses?

Seeing the opportunity, Chat-Noir jumped to his feet and followed up with a brutal staff strike to the face, causing a splatter of blood to exude from his face to his uniform.

"What is this? How are you doing this? Answer me!" The assault was unrelenting; the two were almost in perfect sync with one another, and he had no way of countering their attacks. Any attempt to probe the souls of Ladybug and Chat-Noir had been completely ineffective. It was like attempting to process coherent information from static television.

"Damn you! I will kill you! I WILL KILL BOTH OF YOU!" Even Prom King knew the threat was utterly unsubstantiated as the superhero pair forced him on his back. Before, he had been able to feed off of their rage, their hate, but they had somehow found a roundabout method of dodging his psychic scrutiny.

"Sorry to break the news, but this love story is gonna have a happy-"

Before Chat-Noir could conclude yet another of his blood-curdling quips, Prom King halted both of them in place. Even he was stunned by the sudden change in events; apparently his hate had made him stronger. He would be sure to thank the old man when all this was over. Agreste would not escape now, as much as he struggled.

"Now then," Almost utterly exhausted, Prom King gave a victorious cackle as Ladybug and Chat-Noir levitated slightly above the ground. "Once I bring your lifeless corpses to the old man, I'll be more powerful than either of you could even begin to comprehend! I will reclaim what you have taken from m- _THWACK!_

* * *

Finally free of the telekinetic grasp, both Adrien and Marinette took several rapid, greedy gasps of air, mercifully refilling their lungs with life-giving energy. They almost didn't notice that Prom King had been brought down by a chair to the back of the head courtesy of none other than Chloe. The three of them each struggled mightily to regain their composure and normal rate of breathing.

"Thanks...Chloe." For the first time in her life, Ladybug said that with genuine, unironic sincerity.

* * *

The night had been an eventful one. Another villain had been conquered, Geno had been set free, after which he profusely apologized to just about every living creature on planet Earth and vowed to strive to be a better person, (luckily, he appeared to have no memory of his time as Prom King or any superheroic identity) and Ladybug used her powers to fix up all injured parties, though Chloe remained insistent on being brought to the most expensive hospital in all of France via her father's helicopter.

But, for Adrien, the greatest battle was currently underway.

Not only had Ladybug discovered his true identity, it turned out that Ladybug and Marinette were the same person. It was the equivalent of humanity coming into contact with aliens hours after the Prime Minister of France declared pants to be an unparalleled and now illegal evil. The two agreed to abandon the party in favor of having a heart-to-heart in the cafe on the adjacent street.

They remained utterly silent as they made their way inside and took their seats. Even sitting across from one another, neither could figure out precisely what to say. Truly, what could be said? Adrien had insisted on forcing himself to be more open with Marinette, but that seemed like but a distant dream in the moment.

"He was wrong."

Marinette struck first. Adrien remained ramrod stiff.

"Geno was wrong about me. I didn't know you were Chat-Noir, and I liked you long before we started the whole superhero thing," Despite the emotionally intensity of her words, she refused to make eye contact. "I don't even know how many times I tried thinking of ways that I could tell you that I had a huge crush on you, but...yeah."

His heart rate skyrocketed.

"And if you love Ladybug...that's okay. I don't want you to force yourself to b-"

Instinct took over Adrien's mind as he silenced Marinette by gripping her shoulders.

"Marinette, don't say another word," He detected a slight burning feeling on his face, but he pressed on. "When we thought about the things that mattered most to us to keep Geno from picking up on our fight moves," He briefly turned away to deliver the finishing blow. "I thought about you. How special you make me feel, how much you genuinely care about me, how you're not after my money or my dad's connections...that's so, so very rare to find in a person," He had hoped to come off bold and passionate like the traditional superhero at the end of the movie instead of the shy schoolboy confessing to his crush at present. "I didn't knew you were actually Ladybug either, and I don't care if you're Ladybug or Wonder Woman or Jean Grey, I...I love you."

And there it was. The words hung in the air briefly before interminably descending to the Earth. The two could only remain there, Adrien with his arms firmly secured to Marinette's shoulders and Marinette's eyes bound to Adrien's.

"Can I take your order?"

The two were thrown back to Earth by an extremely amused waitress making no effort to hide a brilliant smile at the pair of strangers.

* * *

With the ringing bell, the day had been concluded. Still somewhat exhausted from the weekend's events, spending the rest of the week putting the finishing the touches on his project with Marinette, actually presenting the aforementioned presentation, and, of most prominent importance, officially starting a relationship with her, he was more than happy to slowly make his way over to his gear. It was Friday and time to relax, in a way.

A bump on his shoulder. "Yo, good project, Agreste. That was like, deep and poetic and stuff. Even that super pretentious literature buff Geno looked impressed," It was good to hear from Nino that his project was indeed 'deep and poetic and stuff'. The ultimate sign of profound intelligence. "So, you down for some Overwatch tonight?"

"Actually, Nino, I was gonna go to the movies tonight with Marinette."

Nino's eyes bulged and he smiled. "Oooooh, okay. I see you, Agreste." He gave him yet another congratulatory fist bump on the shoulder.

Adrien gave a slightly embarrassed smile in return. Truthfully, he _did_ plan on going to the movies with Marinette _after_ patrol, and he couldn't be happier to say that. Perhaps it was a bit morally questionable to feel a true sense of purpose now that he was teaming up with Marinette considering there was the whole, you know, saving people and defending the free world thing, but Adrien felt it was fair. Modelling was… modelling. It wasn't exactly defending Gotham City from Doctor Doom and General Zod, but Adrien, despite originally conceding to it out of deference to his father, felt that it provided a modicum of happiness to certain people, however minimal, and that minute utilitarian value made it a worthwhile endeavor. Adrien genuinely liked to help people. Still, he thought it was fair that he felt invigorated by his new found partnership-relationship. He deserved to have that bit of happiness.

Before he could continue his musing, both Nino and Adrien were drawn to their phones by the sound of some sort of emergency alarm. Instead, it was an akuma-tized villain floating above the biggest cinema in Paris.

"Citizens of Paris! Come one, come all! Since you've all rejected my works for so long, I've decided to give the people what they really want: chaos! I welcome you to the greatest show in the history of the world! I call it: The Death of Ladybug and Chat-Noir!"

Adrien sprinted for the door. "I gotta find Marinette!"

As Nino watched his friend depart, he could only conclude that Adrien _really_ liked Marinette.


End file.
